Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor

F-22A Raptor

I was surprised to see the F-22 at the NMUSAF.  How could we afford to have a $150 million aircraft used for display?  I mentioned this to one the volunteers who told me this was a test model.  It flew in tests until the airframe was no longer capable of combat maneuvering.  It was worn out.  It flew to Dayton from Edwards Air Force Base in California just not at combat speeds.

This is the front line fighter of the USAF.  It is stealthy.  It is the most advanced fighter in the world.  It is designated a generation 5 fighter.  No other country has a generation 5 fighter.  It is highly maneuverable and flies supersonic without the after burners, called Super Cruise.  Some of the high maneuverability is obtained by thrust vectoring which helps it turn quickly.  

I read on Wikipedia that the last one was produced in December, 2011.  The Air Force bought 187 of them.  The reasons were cost, and lack of threat.  

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